Forces Command welcomes Richardson to Fort Bragg as new deputy commanding general

Drew Brooks Military editor @DrewBrooks

Friday

Jul 7, 2017 at 6:50 PMJul 7, 2017 at 6:50 PM

Given his pick among all of the Army’s two-star generals, Gen. Robert “Abe” Abrams knew exactly who he wanted as his No. 2 at U.S. Army Forces Command.

On Friday, Abrams welcomed that choice — now Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson — to Fort Bragg during a ceremony at Marshall Hall.

Abrams said that when leaders met to discuss a replacement for Lt. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue III, who retired last month, it took him “less than a second” to ask for Richardson.

That’s despite having never served alongside the general, who was the chief legislative liaison for the Army from 2014 until earlier this year.

“I know her reputation. I’ve seen her work…” Abrams said. “She’s the exact right leader at the exact right time.”

Richardson, who was promoted to three-star general last month, became the first female Army officer to officially hold the position of deputy commanding general of Forces Command.

The command is the largest in the U.S. Army, responsible for training and preparing active, Reserve and National Guard troops to meet the requirements of combatant commanders around the globe.

On Friday, Abrams said the command — with only about 800 or so people in its headquarters — has a big impact on the U.S. military.

It represents 770,000 soldiers and civilians, including more than 200,000 Regular Army soldiers stationed in the continental United States and the entirety of the National Guard and Army Reserve.

The command provides more than 75 percent of American forces in support of current operations around the globe and rotational missions. And in recent years, the command has been focused on improving readiness while also shifting focus form counter insurgency operations to a potential fight against a near-peer threat.

“We are a readiness factory. That’s what we do,” Abrams said. “This is where we get things done for the Army.”

As deputy commanding general, Richardson will play a key role in that mission.

In laymen speak, Abrams said she would be the command’s chief operating officer.

It’s a role Abrams said requires the right person with the right skill sets and experience. And no one is better prepared for the job than Richardson, who has previously served as a battalion commander in Iraq, an aide to the vice president, commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, commander of the Army’s Operational Test Command at Fort Hood in Texas, deputy commander of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, and deputy chief of staff for communications for the international Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

“She understands how the Army runs. She understands the integration with the institutional Army. She understands how the installations integrate with (Forces Command),” Abrams said. “She understands the operational force. She understands what it’s like being deployed and operational requirements. That is a breadth and depth of assignment history that very, very few officers — particularly general officers — have.”

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